


Falling Deeply Into You

by tenspetal



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Huang Ren Jun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Are Best Friends, Huang Ren Jun-centric, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno, Romantic Fluff, Surfing, fear of water, thalassophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:00:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28844229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenspetal/pseuds/tenspetal
Summary: Renjun is terrified of the ocean; its never-ending abyss of darkness. In fact, he can’t even swim. So, why was he staying in Hawaii then? Because he loves his friends.And maybe the surfer instructor is super hot too.———When Jaemin caught up to them, his eyes immediately went to Renjun. What had quickly become Jaemin’s signature smile began to fade as he eyed what Renjun had chosen to wear.  His eyes raked up and down his body until they came back up to Renjun’s face; swallowing, Jaemin quickly looked away.“Uh, yeah, I look dumb, I realize that now,” Renjun grumbled, looking to his two friends that had decided to go with shorts and button downs.“No! I wasn’t going to-- I was-- nevermind,” Jaemin shook his head before shoving his hands into his pockets.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Comments: 30
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello, welcome! I was watching this documentary on foods in hawaii and then got struck with this idea. hope you enjoy!

Climbing out of the cab, Renjun was hit with the smell of the sea. The tang of salt that lingered in the air, danced across his tongue as he breathed in before sighing. Eyes darting about, Renjun’s shoulder was knocked into by his best friend.

“Come on! Get your ass in gear! Let’s go! Move it, move it!” Donghyuck half shouted as he barged past Renjun with a hooting and hollering Chenle in tow who began singing.

“I like to move it move it!”

Dragging his suitcase behind him, Renjun watched as the other two bolted forward and past the sliding doors of the hotel. The building stretched so high it had to be at least thirty stories, and from their vantage point Renjun felt smaller than small.

The doors opened for Renjun, and he quickly spotted Donghyuck and Chenle at the front desk checking in. A very pretty woman approached them and began to put leis around their necks.

“Aloha,” a woman next to Renjun spoke softly before he dipped his head down so that she could give him one as well.

“Thank you,” Renjun replied with a tight-lipped smile. She beamed in return, turning to welcome in the other guests that came after him.

“Renjun!” Chenle called out, waving him over. “We got the room keys, come on!” Donghyuck held up three identical plastic cards, waving them around as he used his other hand to grab his luggage and begin to pull it along. Letting a long breath out of his nose, Renjun begrudgingly followed along.

Donghyuck and Chenle had been talking about a group trip to Hawaii for years now. Ever since Donghyuck watched a documentary on the island, he had become obsessed with planning a trip. Chenle was right on board with him, immediately just as excited. Renjun had never really thought that the two would go through with the idea of the trip, so he had often indulged them.

And now, he was paying for it.

Renjun had no problem with Hawaii itself; the island, from what he had seen of it thus far, was absolutely stunning. It was just the fact that they would be staying in a condo right on the beach, right next to the ocean, the ocean that surrounded them on all sides.

Saying that he wasn’t fond of the beach would be a vast understatement, but even more so than that, it was the ocean itself.

Renjun had never learned how to swim, so avoiding pools, lakes, and rivers was common for him. But the idea of being face to face with the vastness of the sea… of having it right outside their door…Shivers wracked through Renjun’s body as the elevator continued to ascend floor after floor.

Donghyuck and Chenle’s excitement was palpable, and the looks on their faces when they told Renjun that they had come together and split the cost of his airplane ticket so that all three of them could go made it impossible to say no.

Of course, his friends knew of his aversion to water, but Renjun had never been fond of fully divulging just exactly to what extent he loathed it. It was his biggest weakness, and Renjun much preferred to focus on his multitudes of strengths instead. His mind, his artistic abilities, his will power… not his fear of large bodies of water.

It wasn’t something that often got in the way, fortunately. It was easy to decline invitations to swim in Korea; they also lived nowhere near the ocean.

But, here? It was impossible to avoid.

He had often told Donghyuck and Chenle that he wasn’t that interested in ever visiting Hawaii, but when it came down to it, he blamed it on his lack of funds.

So, when his friends offered to help, Renjun wasn’t going to be a dick and say no. He knew how much it meant to them anyways, and besides, he didn’t have to ever actually get in the water. Renjun could simply hang out at the bar or at the restaurants.

Opening the door to their condo, Renjun’s mouth popped open as soft ‘wow's' came from Donghyuck. The space was large, and right away you could see a fancily furnished living room. Behind it sat the glass wall that looked out at the balcony. There was a room on either side of the living room, and they had already played rock, paper, scissors to see who had to share a bed and who didn’t. So, as Chenle went alone to the right, Renjun and Donghyuck went to the left and opened the door to their room and Queen-sized bed.

“This is great Donghyuck, how did you find such a good price?”

“Well, it wasn’t super cheap,” Donghyuck laughed, tossing his suitcase to the ground before skittering over to pull back the curtains on the window. The sea stared back at them, and Renjun could feel the waves rocking his nerves in his stomach.

“But, I thought—”

“Don’t worry about the expenses,” he turned and smiled at Renjun, “I told you I got it, I’m just glad you could make it, Injunnie.” Renjun let a small grin settle on his face in return.

“I’m glad I could make it, too, Hyuckie.”

“Hey guys! There’s a mini bar in here!”

Chenle, Donghyuck, and Renjun spent the rest of the day battling their jet lag, and also getting ready for the luau that would be on the beach later that night. Donghyuck insisted that they each wear their leis even though Renjun was sure that more would be handed out as soon as they arrived.

Clothed in tacky floral button downs, the three of them marched arm and arm to the luau just outside the back of the hotel and onto the beach. The ocean was quite a way away from them, and they were still inside a large closed off area, so Renjun felt decently safe.

A raised platform at the front of the area had performers swinging fire wildly around and beautiful women clad in flowers and coarse grass skirts dancing. Their fluid moves were captivating to Renjun, and Donghyuck had to break him from his stupor in order to get them to move to the buffet line.

There was more food than Renjun had seen in quite some time, and when he went to ask Donghyuck just how much this all was costing him, all he got was a dismissive wave of Donghyuck’s hand in return.

“So, I have our itinerary,” Donghyuck said through a mouthful of what looked to be some type of pineapple concoction. Pulling out a piece of paper, he smacked it on the table between the three of them. “These are all the activities that the hotel offers, and we can always just hang out at the beach if we want to, too.”

“Whoa, snorkeling?” Chenle squeaked, his mouth agape as he ran down the list. Renjun felt his stomach twist into knots at the thought of being submerged in the ocean, face to face with the water, and stuck breathing out of a tube.

“Oh, this looks cool,” Renjun mumbled, pointing at the massage and facials option.

“Oh, massages sound nice, too,” Chenle nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

“Like I said, we can always just relax,  _ but  _ there’s so much to do so I would like it if we could do as much of it together as possible! I already signed us up for surfing lessons in the morning!”

“S-Surfing lessons?” Renjun stuttered over Chenle’s excited ‘whoops’.

“Yeah! It’s an extra fee and classes fill up quickly, so I did it online before we got here,” Donghyuck beamed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“When is that?” Renjun asked before clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Well, it’s a set. The first part is on land and then in the shallows. And then the next day they take out on the waves! It starts tomorrow afternoon, so we can sleep in.”

“Ugh, you’re a saint,” Chenle commented at the mention of sleeping in.

“Yeah. Thanks, Hyuckie,” Renjun murmured under his breath, already thinking of ways to get out of said lessons. Maybe he could just do the first part and then fake sickness the next day?

Renjun had a hard time enjoying anything that night due to the looming worry of the days to come. Which also meant that it was next to impossible to get a good night’s sleep; the sound of the ocean lulling his two friends to their dreams while it jarred him into his nightmares.

He saw himself on the beach, the sand swirling beneath him as it slowly sucked him further and further towards the water. Renjun’s toes touched the beginnings of the sea, salt clinging to his skin as his vision plunged into darkness, his head dipping below the waves.

Shivers wracked across his body at the frigid temperatures, his chest tight from lack of oxygen. And—

“Injunnie!” Donghyuck loomed over Renjun’s face, smiling down at him as his hair shined from the sun coming in through the window. “Wakey wakey!” Groaning, Renjun flipped himself over in bed, throwing the covers over his head and burying his face in a pillow.

“Five more minutes,” he responded, his voice muffled.

“Nope! We have an appointment to make! If we miss our time slot, then our instructor can cancel on us!”

“Yeah, so hurry up!” Chenle’s voice shouted from outside of their room, much softer than Donghyuck’s loud garbling right next to his ear.

“Fine, fine. Jeez,” Renjun mumbled, stretching himself up on his arms before extracting himself from the little comfort that the hotel bed had provided him, as he prepared to march off to his doom.

If Renjun took more than his normal time to get ready, Donghyuck and Chenle didn’t seem to mind. They also didn’t notice how he visibly cringed anytime they mentioned going into the ocean either. So, maybe they just weren’t that observative.

The three of them marched down to the beach from the backside of the hotel, and as the crashing waves grew louder and louder, Renjun’s anxiety grew too. Each step brought him closer and closer to the deep unknown, to his worst nightmare. Even though the weather outside was beautiful, Renjun had cold shivers running up and down his spine.

Sunshine rained down on them as their toes sunk into the sand. Donghyuck led them in the direction of a large shack that had a ginormous faded-blue and plastic surfboard attached to the roof. The wooden door swung open and a handsome man clad in a skintight, deep blue wetsuit sprinted out, surfboard in hand as he headed straight for the water.

“Jeno! Come back, we don’t have—oh!” A broad-shouldered, lean, disgustingly handsome man came out after the other, dressed the same way. He stopped directly in front of Donghyuck, shaking his deep black hair out of his eyes before extending his hand.

“Are you Jaemin?” Donghyuck asked, eyeing the other’s hand wearily.

“Oh! Sorry, yeah,” Jaemin apologized, shooting them the most stunning smile Renjun had ever seen. Donghyuck clasped the others hand and shook it. “Donghyuck? Right?” Jaemin asked, pointing towards Donghyuck with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah! We talked on the phone. This is Chenle and Renjun,” he gestured to them in kind. Renjun felt himself staring, and when Jaemin looked in his direction, he tried and failed to seem like he had been doing something else.

“Hey guys, well welcome to Hawaii!” Jaemin said excitedly, opening his arms wide and gesturing around them. “I am Na Jaemin, and I will be your surfing master. And you,” he nodded his head towards them, “will all be my padawans.” Blinking in confusion, Renjun realized he had been so distracted by Jaemin’s looks that he hadn’t realized they had been speaking Korean the entire time.

“You’re Korean, then?” Renjun spoke up, clearing his throat awkwardly. Jaemin smiled that stunning smile once again, this time directed straight towards Renjun.

“Ha! Yeah! Your friend, Donghyuck, set you guys up with everything here! At the resort we have several different instructors that speak other languages besides English, but for that type of stuff you have to call ahead and book and get in touch—blah blah, you get it,” Jaemin chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.

“Wow, Hyuck. You’re actually the best,” Chenle stated, in wonder.

“You definitely have a good friend, that’s for sure! The guy you just saw run out to the water is Jeno. He speaks Korean as well, so if you see him around and have any questions, feel free to ask him! Or me, of course,” Jaemin punctuated his sentence with a wink directed at Renjun. Renjun could feel his cheeks heating up at the singled-out attention.

“So, when do we start,” Donghyuck grinned widely before Jaemin clasped a hand on his shoulder.

“Follow me.”

Jaemin took them through the shack and helped them pick out practice boards. They also all got their own wetsuits, which Renjun definitely was not a fan of. It made everything seem far too real. After struggling to get the black and blue clothing onto his body, Renjun marched out of the shack, irritated at the situation.

Leaning against his surfboard that he had stuck into the sand, Jaemin eyed Renjun longer than Renjun personally thought was necessary. He then slapped his board one before turning his head to observe the other two as well.

“Alright guys! Today is day one, you don’t have to get into the water if you don’t want to, but I highly recommend getting out to test the waters at the end of the lesson!”

“Woo!” Chenle cheered in excitement while Renjun cringed.

“Okay, everyone place your boards on the ground,” they did as instructed, Jaemin lowering his board into the sand as well. “So, you’re going to want to lie down on your stomach like this when you swim out.” Jaemin took them through the motions, showing them how to jump up and balance. Took them through safety measures of what to do in case you hit a rock or get caught up in a wave’s current.

“If you fall off, well,  _ when  _ you fall off,” Jaemin chuckled, “because, trust me, you guys will be falling more than you’ll be surfing for the first while. It takes a decent amount of time to get a feel of the board. To find just how to balance and lean, how much to bend your knees, all of it.”

Jaemin continued as Renjun found himself turning his head to the right to take in the ocean. He couldn’t understand how people could crave this sight, how people could feel  _ calm  _ or  _ comforted  _ by the sea.

“Did you hear that, Renjun?” Jaemin called out, making Renjun snap his head back to them. Donghyuck and Chenle looked at him expectantly.

“Oh, uh, sorry, no. I got distracted.”

“It’s fine! I totally understand getting lost in the beauty of the ocean,” Jaemin smiled softly. Renjun couldn’t hold himself back from making a disgusted face in response to what Jaemin said. Tilting his head in confusion, Jaemin shook out his hair once more before addressing him again.

“So, what you missed,” Jaemin explained a bit more about what to expect, and that he would be right nearby for when they fell. “And now, my friends, is the fun part,” he wiggled his eyebrows making Chenle chuckle. “We take to the water! Do I have any volunteers?”

“As head planner for this trip, I believe I should be the one who gets to go first,” Donghyuck called out immediately, making everyone but Renjun laugh.

“Alright, alright. Follow me Donghyuck. You can both come too! Just one in the water at a time, please,” Jaemin called out behind himself as he walked down the beach and towards the tides. Donghyuck and Chenle scurried after him while Renjun took slow, measured steps down to the shore.

Closing his eyes tightly, Renjun opened them once more to stare at the water as he inched closer. He could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, his heartbeat racing. The palms of his hands had begun to get clammy making it harder to grip the surfboard.

Jaemin slowly eased Donghyuck into the water, pulling him along on his board out into about chest-high water. Chenle sat in the sand, knees pulled up, as he watched the two. Jaemin seemed to be explaining something to Donghyuck who then nodded in kind before paddling out to where the waves fell after they had crested.

Using his arms, Jaemin pulled himself up onto his own board, straddling it and sitting with his back facing them. Donghyuck attempted to stand up when the aftermath of a wave began to move towards him. Attempted being the keyword.

Donghyuck didn’t even get both of his feet down onto his board before he was tumbling off the side, being flung into the ocean. Renjun could hear Chenle’s squeaking laugh from down on the beach, and in any other circumstance, Renjun himself would be laughing as well. Instead, his heart constricted as worry took over his body.

_ Is he alright? What if he hit his head on a rock and he drowns? How fast can someone drown? What if the current takes him? _

Popping up, his drenched hair clinging to his forehead, Donghyuck pouted.

“I was so close!” He heard Donghyuck yell over Chenle’s laughter. “Stop laughing! Like you could do any better!”

“Wanna bet?” Chenle called back.

“Yeah! Loser buys drinks tonight!”

“You’re on!” Chenle pointed before standing up right away and brushing the sand that clung to his wetsuit off. Climbing back atop his board, Donghyuck paddled his way back to the shore as Jaemin easily turned himself and helped bring Chenle out to the same place Donghyuck had just been.

When they got far enough out into the water, Jaemin began to talk to Chenle the same way he had Donghyuck. Renjun’s eyes followed Jaemin’s gestures, unaware that Donghyuck was approaching him.

“Hey, you gonna go next? Whoa, jeez,” Donghyuck held his hands up at the way Renjun jumped, spooked by him.

“N-No, I think I’ll wait,” Renjun breathed out, nodding his head as if he were convincing himself.

“O-Kay,” Donghyuck punctuated the word strangely, making Renjun turn his head to catch the doubtful look his friend sent him.

“What?”

“Hm, it’s just usually you’re so competitive about these types of things. And I know you don’t usually like to swim, but I thought you’d be a bit more involved,” Donghyuck shrugged.

“Well—I—Donghyuck, I just—”

“Oh, no fucking way!” Donghyuck shouted, causing Renjun to turn and see Chenle wobbling atop his surfboard before falling off into the water. He had gotten both feet planted on the board and had actually almost stood up completely. Throwing his head back when he came above the water, Chenle cackled.

“Get your wallet ready, Hyuckie!”

Chenle brought his knees up high as he attempted to run out of the water. When he broke onto the shore, he ran up and picked up Donghyuck around the waist, twirling him once before being forced to put him down from the way Donghyuck hit his arm.

“Renjun, want to try?” Jaemin asked softly, having come back up onto the beach as well. When he had gotten out of the water, Renjun wasn’t exactly sure, but he also noticed that he had migrated much further down the beach then he had meant to. The waves lapping at the sand were merely a few feet away, taunting him.

“No thank you,” Renjun whispered, clinging to his board as he stared at the ocean, willing it to disappear.

“You sure? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” Jaemin’s voice was gentle as he extended a hand to Renjun, trying to coax him out into the water.

“Sorry, n-not today. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Well, definitely tomorrow! That’s all we’ll be doing!” Renjun swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Trying to distract himself, Renjun focused on the fitful bickering going on between Donghyuck and Chenle instead.

“Come on, Injunnie. Let’s go, lunch time!” Donghyuck called, ignoring Chenle’s smug expression. “It was nice to meet you Jaemin! See you tomorrow!”

“Can’t wait!” Jaemin replied, hesitating for a moment before he reached out and let his hand linger on Renjun’s shoulder for a moment. “Hey, if you guys are free later, we’re having a small get together on the beach? It’ll be just a few employees and some of their plus ones. You guys could be my, uh, plus threes?” Donghyuck raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

“Will your hot friend be there?” Donghyuck asked bluntly, making Jaemin sputter a laugh.

“Who, Jeno?”

“The one who we saw earlier, so yeah, I think so.”

“Yeah, he’ll be there,” Jaemin shook his head with a smile on his face. “If you just meet me at this shack at nine, I’ll take you guys there?” His eyes lingered on Renjun who refused to meet his gaze.

“What do you think?” Donghyuck mused as Chenle shrugged.

“We didn’t have anything planned after dinner anyways.”

“Injunnie?”

“Hm? Oh… y-yeah, I guess? Sure. Yeah.” Renjun answered, making Jaemin smile brightly.

“Sweet, see you guys then!”

As they bid their goodbyes, all Renjun could think about was how much worse it would be to be by the ocean at night. The dark sea even darker, its depths black and seemingly unending.

Shaking his head as they walked back, Renjun made a pact to himself to try and feign sickness. He had to get out of it somehow. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not many people seem interested in this story, so if you're reading, thank you! <3

“Do you think it’s something you had at dinner?” 

“Uh, maybe Hyuckie. But I’m sorry, just go without me.” Renjun rolled over in their shared bed, guilt chewing its way through him. 

“We only got invited because the instructor was checking your ass out in our wetsuits earlier anyways!” Chenle complained, flopping down on the bed next to him. Renjun felt a rush of heat light up his cheeks. 

“That’s not true,” he mumbled in response. Donghyuck rolled his eyes while Chenle sighed exasperatedly. 

“Yes it is, Renjun,” Chenle tsked. “But if you don’t feel up to it… should we still go Hyuckie?” 

“I don’t know--” Renjun sat upright, pouting at their banter and interrupting them. 

“You have to! Cute boys? Hawaii?” Renjun insisted. 

“We would rather spend time together, though,” Hyuck shrugged, jumping onto the bed to form a Renjun sandwich with Chenle on the opposite side. “We love you, doofus. If you feel bad, then we can rent a movie and raid the mini bar instead!” 

“No, I’m--”

“Can we watch that new zombie movie?” Chenle’s eyes lit up, bouncing up and down at his own suggestion. 

“No fucking way, dude,” Donghyuck sent him a glare. Renjun looked between the two feeling extremely lucky that he was fortunate enough to have such amazing friends. After rolling the idea around in his head a bit more, Renjun cleared his throat to get their attention. 

“Maybe we could just go for a little bit then? And if I feel too bad I can come back?” Pouncing onto Renjun, Donghyuck enveloped him in a bear hug.

“Yes! Yes! I really want to talk to that Jeno guy,” Donghyuck said, leaning over to give Renjun a quick peck on the cheek. With a look of disgust, Renjun brought his hand up and wiped at the spot on his face where he kissed him. 

“If you do that again, I’m going to sit in bed the entire rest of this trip.” 

“Oop, okay. Sorry.”

  
  
  


Renjun, Donghyuck, and Chenle walked their way down through the hotel and through the back entrance. There was a sign that said the beach was closed, and Renjun started to get a nervous twinge in his stomach. The black abyss that stretched out far before them had to be off limits for a reason, why were they--

“Hey guys!” Jaemin called, waving his arm from the opposite side of the wooden gate and near the surf shack in the distance. He quickly began to jog through the sand, and for some reason it reminded Renjun of Baywatch. Jaemin was in a tight, and very much so sleeveless, white tank with what looked to be swim shorts on underneath. Looking at his own ensemble, Renjun realized he stuck out like a sore thumb. He had chosen to put on a sheer grey blouse that billowed in the wind with his dark blue skinny jeans. 

When Jaemin caught up to them, his eyes immediately went to Renjun. What had quickly become Jaemin’s signature smile began to fade as he eyed what Renjun had chosen to wear. His eyes raked up and down his body until his eyes came back up to Renjun’s face; swallowing, Jaemin quickly looked away. 

“Uh, yeah, I look dumb, I realize that now,” Renjun grumbled, looking to his two friends that had decided to go with shorts and button downs. 

“No! I wasn’t going to-- I was-- nevermind,” Jaemin shocked his head before shoving his hands into his pockets. “Anyways, come on! I’ll take you guys there, it’d be best if you left your shoes, uh, here.” He said, pointing to a tiny alcove right below the wooden deck. There were already two pairs of shoes there, so the rest of them followed suit, deciding to go barefoot. 

The night sounds of the ocean were much more terrifying during the night. Not being able to really see anything was completely throwing Renjun off; it made his fear more and more irrational. At least during the day if he could have his eye on the water he could see that there wasn’t anything directly near to him, but now… Attempting to bury his thoughts, Renjun trudged on through the sand, staying on the side farthest away from the ocean. 

The walk would be pleasant if their location was different. The night air was just warm enough that Renjun didn’t need a jacket, and the moon was almost completely full while the clouds hid from sight. Soft conversation drifted through the air as Donghyuck and Chenle found out more about Jaemin and vice versa. Renjun picked up tidbits here and there when he wasn’t focused solely on the sea. Like how Jaemin and Jeno only spent their summers in Hawaii, that they didn’t live here year round. 

“Yeah, we come here on a work visa. We have a contract type thing with the hotel that allows us to come back each summer. This is actually our third summer, to be more specific.” Jaemin walked ahead of the other three, turning around so he was walking backwards, but facing them. 

“Wait, so where do you live during the rest of the year then?” Renjun asked, his curiosity getting the better of himself. “If you come here on a visa, then--”

“Yup!” Jaemin replied, popping the ‘p’. “That’s right, I don’t just speak Korean,” he winked at them when he stopped speaking. 

“Wait, you live in Korea?” Chenle asked, his mouth popping open in surprise.

“Yeah! Jeno and I both do. Childhood best friends,” he snapped, shooting them finger guns. Just then, the slightest of traces of music could be heard. “Oh! We’re close,” he added, turning back around to no longer face them. 

“Hm, that’s cool. Do you ever go by Seoul?” Donghyuck asked.

“Yeah, I live there. Well, my parents do and so I’m there most of the time.” 

“We’ll have to hang out then!” Donghyuck responded, making Jaemin turn back around. 

“We sure will,” Jaemin spoke softly, his eyes glued to Renjun a mischievous look in them. 

The beach that stretched out before them began to be dotted with rocks which grew into cliff sides. On his right, Renjun felt bracketed in by the steadily rising cliffs. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

Around the bend of one of the larger rocks, the beach spread back out as an overhand of one of the rocks bracketed them in. It was a small nook that was somewhere between a cave and an alcove. 

In the center, there sat a rather large bonfire with a couple scattered chairs and logs resting around it. There couldn’t have been more than ten people around the fire, and as they finally arrived, everyone turned to stare at them. 

“Jaemin!” One of the girls called out, waving wildly with a can in one of her hands. The guy who Jaemin had called Jeno was hunched over a large cooler, digging around inside of it. When he popped back up, he tossed a can through the air from where he stood all the way over to Jaemin who, of course, caught it perfectly. 

“Hey guys,” Jaemin called back, popping the drink open and taking a swig right away. “Jeno, come’re,” he gestured at his friend to come over to where they stood slightly on the outskirts from everyone else. 

“Hi,” Jeno greeted as he got closer, smiling so that his eyes disappeared into tiny half circles, and maybe Renjun was hallucinating, but he could have sworn he heard Donghyuck gasp. 

“Jeno, this is Chenle, Donghyuck, and Renjun,” he motioned to them in kind. 

“Oh! This is them!” Jeno snapped his fingers, quickly switching to Korean. He turned his head to Jaemin in excitement. “Jaemin said you’re from Korea as well?” 

“Yeah!” Donghyuck chimed in. “We were just talking about that actually. Small world, huh? We were saying how we’d have to hang out sometime.” Donghyuck smiled.

“For sure,” Jeno responded, smiling again. Chenle cleared his throat, breaking the staring contest between the two that had started to begin. Jaemin chuckled under his breath at the startled look on Jeno’s face, and Renjun couldn’t hold back a smile when Donghyuck slapped Chenle’s arm. 

“Well, feel free to have any of the drinks in our coolers. If you do litter, however, I will never forgive you and you’ll be banned from any further activities with us,” Jaemin said seriously to which the three nodded. 

“I never would anyways. Littering is disgusting,” Renjun murmured, aghast. 

“I agree,” Jaemin replied. 

“Okay, lovebirds, save the whales and all, but I want a drink!” Donghyuck cheered, marching past them to begin introducing himself to the other people there and heading towards the closest open cooler. 

“Me too,” Chenle chimed in, grabbing Jeno by the shoulder and hauling him off, leaving Jaemin and Renjun alone. 

“Do you want something to drink too?” Jaemin asked, his voice suddenly much softer as he looked down at Renjun. 

“Um, what do you guys have?” 

“Here,” Jaemin led them to the cooler that Donghyuck had closed the lid on to use as a seat. “Excuse us,” Jaemin said, smiling good-heartedly at the other. 

“What’s the magic word?” Donghyuck joked, his eyes full of mischief.

“Uh, please?” Jaemin tried.

“No, it’s ‘Renjun thinks you’re cute’. Anyways,” Donghyuck rushed out, quickly jumping up and sprinting away. Renjun could feel the blood rush past his ears as embarrassment ran rampant throughout his body. 

“Donghyuck fucking Lee, I swear to God!” 

“You don’t even believe in God!” Donghyuck called back from the opposite side of the circle as he hid behind a very confused looking Jeno. 

“I’m so sorry,” Renjun turned to Jaemin, cheeks pinkened, only to see his smile large and prominent. 

“Don’t apologize,” he laughed. “It’s funny, plus you wouldn’t be the first to think so.” 

“I-- I hate it here,” Renjun grumbled, groaning into his hands as they came up to cover his face. 

“I’m sorry!” Jaemin pouted as he slung his arm around Renjun’s shoulders; Jaemin tried to reign in his laughter at the look of death Renjun shot him.

“Sure,” Renjun rolled his eyes before finally opening the cooler and digging around until he found a bottle of cider that sounded interesting. His eyes raked over the area for a second before he turned back to Jaemin and held out his bottle. “Bottle opener?” 

“Got it,” Jaemin sing-songed, taking his key ring out of his pocket, flipping them and popping off the top in one go. “There you go.” Renjun stared at his large hands as Jaemin handed him the drink, his mind drifting to places that it probably shouldn’t be drifting. 

“Thanks,” Renjun cleared his throat awkwardly as he took the drink from him, their hands brushing slightly.

“Can I show you something?” Jaemin asked, leaning down close to Renjun’s ear. His breath on his neck sent shivers up Renjun’s spine. 

“Yeah, sure.”

“Is this okay?” Jaemin asked as he intertwined their fingers together before he began to pull Renjun off in the opposite direction from the camp. 

“Y-Yeah,” Renjun stuttered, caught off guard by his boldness. 

“Great,” he answered, sending Renjun his glorious, bright smile that even in the darkness of the evening, radiated. 

Jaemin led him away from the campfire and away from his friends around the opposite side of the cluster of the rocks. His toes squished between the sand, the tiny grains sticking between his toes. Renjun hung his head, refusing to meet Jaemin’s gaze that he could feel on the side of his face. As Jaemin’s thumb started moving in soft circles on the top of Renjun’s hand, Renjun felt a heat rise up his neck and settle in the tips of his ears. He wasn’t used to feeling shy, but something about Jaemin brought it out in him. 

“Okay,” Jaemin whispered lightly, and Renjun finally looked up at his surroundings. It was a clearing of palm trees dotted around a thin stream that led from inland and into the ocean. Truly, the scene was stunning, but Renjun couldn’t help but to feel affected by the sound of rushing water. He was thankful that at the very least the water was so shallow that he could easily see the rocky bottom; if he were to stand in it, it couldn’t come up much higher than his ankles. 

“Oh, this is… really pretty.”

“Isn’t it?” Jaemin’s voice was soft and full of wonder as he tugged Renjun along to sit on a large smoothed bolder. “So, what made you decide to come to Hawaii? Not the most normal vacation spot for Koreans, I would say?”

“Well, I grew up in China, so I’m not exactly Korean, but it wasn’t my idea. Donghyuck has been talking about coming for years and he got Chenle interested, so they’ve honestly been planning this trip for so long. I’m only here because of them.” 

“Oh, but you are enjoying yourself, right?” Renjun scratched the back of his neck, finally disconnecting their hands. 

“I mean, yeah? Yeah. I am.” Jaemin gave him a skeptical look.

“What’s with the weird hesitation?” He smiled softly, staring directly into Renjun’s eyes. Sighing, Renjun shook his head, looking down before he buried his face into his hands. 

“You really want to know?” Jaemin scooted closer to Renjun atop the rock, his face brimming with excitement to be let in on a secret. 

“Yes!” 

“It’s not that exciting. I just-- I just, I can’t swim? I can’t swim, so it’s a little weird for me to be here and, uh, yeah.” Jaemin’s excited look faded as Renjun talked, only to be replaced with confusion. 

“You can’t swim and you were going to take surfing lessons?” Jaemin sounded almost offended.

“Well, my friends signed me up, and they were so excited, and--”

“Your friends signed you up for _surfing lessons knowing you can’t swim?_ ” Jaemin scoffed leaning back onto his hands. 

“No!” Renjun brought his hands up in defense. “No, they don't’t know. They just know I don’t really ever like to swim, but I don’t… I haven’t told them that that’s why.” 

“Renjun,” Jaemin shook his hand, reaching out to grab back onto Renjun’s hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it. To distract himself, Renjun picked up his forgotten drink and took a large gulp. “It’s not safe. I can’t let you take my lessons. It really… you could get seriously injured.” 

Shivering from the thought of being caught up in the current, drowning, unable to swim flashed through his mind. How could he have been so naive to think that he would be able to pull that off? As if Donghyuck would ever let him pretend to be sick and get out of friend activities. 

“You’re right,” he whispered, defeated. Renjun took another swig of his drink before setting it back down. “Also, why are you so flirty?” Feeling emboldened, Renjun raised an eyebrow at Jaemin who simply smiled back and shrugged. 

“You’re really cute, and finding out more about you, I think you’re interesting too. You must really love your friends to do something like that.” Cocking his head to the side, Jaemin let his eyes linger and wander across Renjun’s face. 

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Jaemin giggled underneath his breath, letting his fingers play with Renjun’s own. Comforting silence drifted between them as the soft trickling sounds danced with the loud crashing ones from the ocean. 

Swallowing roughly, Renjun found himself growing more and more anxious as the silence dragged on as he was forced to remember just exactly where he was. How close he was to the water, and just how much of it surrounded him. Just as it was becoming too much, Jaemin turned Renjun’s head with his free hand. Surprised, Renjun simply stared back at the other before Jaemin let his thumb trace across Renjun’s jaw. 

The next thing he knew, Jaemin was leaning towards him, eyes closed. A soft gasp left his lips as Jaemin began to kiss him gently. His lips were slightly dry, but he moved them in such an expert way that Renjun found himself not minding one bit. Jaemin’s hand rested in the crook of Renjun’s neck, allowing him to lean into something as Jaemin took over him. Tongue dancing across his lips, Jaemin pulled back briefly only to dip right back down and kiss Renjun once more. He felt suspended in the moment, all negative worries and thoughts washed away by Jaemin’s lips; it was impossible to focus on anything else. When he finally pulled back, Renjun let his eyes flutter open, his lips still slightly parted. Jaemin looked down at him with found eyes and a soft grin. 

“We should probably get back,” Jaemin spoke as he breathed a sigh, running his thumb across Renjun’s cheek. 

Walking back to the bonfire hand in hand with Jaemin felt less nerve wracking this time, and when he walked all three of them back down the beach to their hotel, Renjun found himself gravitating towards Jaemin the whole time. 

Before they parted, Jaemin leaned down to whisper into Renjun’s ear. 

_“Show up tomorrow. I’ll take care of you, don’t worry. I won’t let you get in the water.”_

  
_“Okay,”_ Renjun whispered back, his eyes glued to Jaemin’s own. _“See you then.”_

**Author's Note:**

> A kudos and comment a day helps keep the writer's block at bay! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
> 
> So, what do you think? 
> 
> Feel free to tell me on either my [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/tenspetal) or [Curious Cat!](https://curiouscat.qa/tenspetal)


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